Meet the ‘Mutant Wobster Bear’

Posted by Keith on Thursday May 15, 2008 Under Daily Artisan Spotlight

The 'Mutant Wobster Bear'
Meet the infamous Mutant Wobster Bear!

The story of the Mutant Wobster Bear is this: when I was first starting to sew a couple of years ago, I decided to make some stuffed animals. Of course, I wanted to start off by making a bear. However, I didn’t understand how darts worked, because I had never sewn anything that used them before. So I literally followed the pattern and this pink guy was the result. Because I didn’t know that darts were handled differently to achieve a rounded shape, this poor little guy ended up with a pointy stomach and back, and claw-like feet. Thus, he looked like a mutant bear/lobster hybrid.

I was going to take it apart and re-sew it properly, but my youngest daughter (who was 3) saw it and instantly fell in love with it so I let him survive. Because she couldn’t pronounce ‘L’ sounds, he became the ‘Mutant Wobster Bear’ and she carried him around like mad for about a year and a half.

He’s currently working as an intern for me at the office to provide demonstrations on what happens when you just follow instructions and don’t understand the context of them! :)

In the last few weeks, Mutant Wobster Bear has had some gene-spliced offspring and so will be the spokesmutant for a new shop I am going to open in the next few weeks called ‘Kaiju Creations.’ More on this in a later post!

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Daily Artisan Spotlight: Susan Lambert

Posted by Keith on Thursday May 15, 2008 Under Daily Artisan Spotlight

The ‘Daily Artisan Spotlight’ is a regular feature on Mindless Pursuits intended to provide insight and exposure to the tons of talented artisans working today. Please comment and give them some encouragement and check out their work! If you would like to be considered for the Spotlight, click on the ‘Free Press’ link above!

www.beadnsue.com 

What is your shop? 
Susan’s Art (http://susanlambert.etsy.com)

What is your art/craft? 
Web site is www.beadnsue.com

I have worked with glass and silver since 1993. Fusing and lampworking the glass along with forging and casting silver has been my focus.

Describe your style in 2 words: Artsy Handmade

What is your favorite piece and why?
The bracelet on my web site is my favorite. It is cast using the lost wax method. Then I used silver wire and beads to embellish the silver frame, and added a silver chain and clasp. The bracelet form was something I had cast again by a caster and used it for teaching at Lapidary Journal Beadfest. It works great with lampwork disc beads too, and everytime I make one of these bracelets, it looks different. It can be elegant, funky, or artsy.

What is the most memorable piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Keep working at it because you will develop your own ‘voice’ with time and practice. Buying a foredom also was a great piece of advice!

What is the one piece of advice you’d give?
Present your work well. Finish it well and use quality materials. If you are selling your work, you need to build a reputation of doing things ‘right’.

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